Audio/video (AV) network systems, including those for the home, continue to become more elaborate in quantity and variety of devices connected to the system. For instance, an A/V network may include a digital television (DTV) or some other primary video display unit (PDU) with a variety of different A/V devices such as A/V receivers, DVD players, VCRs and the like connected thereto. The A/V devices are often both analog and digital, and, if digital, often IEEE 1394 compatible. Until recently, most control systems, including those based on IEEE 1394 technology in which the DTV or PDU can be engineered to be the command center of the network system, provided no way to centrally control both the digital and the conventionally wired, IR signal controlled, analog A/V devices of the system. As a result, the interconnection and control of such systems remained complex and unwieldy. For example, simply switching from a cable broadcast to playing a movie on a DVD player often involved numerous device specific remote controls and several iterations through the different layers of control on such remotes.
Recent developments, however, have yielded control systems that centrally control a network of A/V and other electronic devices over a variety of protocols such as analog, digital and IEEE 1394. See, e.g., U.S. Published patent application No. US-2002-0171624-A1, entitled “Control System And User Interface For Network Of Input Devices.” Although highly successful in centrally controlling the different A/V and electronic devices connected to the system, this and other control systems often run into difficulties when trying to control the conventionally wired, IR signal controlled, analog devices. More particularly, because these control systems are unable to detect the power status of these analog devices, it is difficult for these control systems to effectively and efficiently control the analog devices.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system and method by which the power status of analog A/V devices can be determined.